Method of and apparatus for making bottle seals



Dec. 10, 1929. I w. RECHT METHOD OF AND, APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOTTLE SEALS Filed Nov. 23, 1928 INVENTOR ATTORN EY 'Patented omen sates .Lnacn'r, or new scan, at. r.

METHOD OF AND APPMATUS FOR MAKING: EQ'ETILE SL$ Application flies November as, 19281 Serial are. 321,346.

cork. Throughout this period efiorts have.

, been made in the artto provide a more effective seal, inasmuch as the handling thereof by the necessary mechanical elements causes chipping and fissures the cork seal,

15 causing leakage of gas or of the liquidfrom the bottle. Another defect of the cork sealing member is that carbonic acid gas'and acid in fruit flavored and other li uids darkens the cork and renders it objectionable c in appearance, requiring .the use of protecting foil. To avoid these disadvantages it has been proposed to substitute rubber and other plastic disks for the cork. lhus in 4 the patent to McManus,-'No. 1,588,250 of as June 8, 1926, it is proposed to employ a vul-' canized rubber sealing member forced by dies into the metallic cap, this being an attempt to improve upon a similar disclosure in a patent to Taliaferro, No. 1,425,349 of e August-8, 1922. Such attempted improvements upon the form of crown seal have not, so far as applicant'is informed, been commercially adopted for thereasons that it is necessary first to mold the rubber disk, then as place it within the cap, then press the diskinto close contact with the cap and into the shape required, by means of dies. 'Before the die operation it is necessary to prepare' the disk for adhesion to the cap either by ap- 40 plying cement or byheating. The cost of the rubber disk is greaterthan that of the cork disk and the handling operations so increase the cost that the practice is not com- By my invention I am enabled to produce a bottle closure of the crown type which is far superior as to sealing properties than either the cork or applied rubber disk caps,

and one in which the cost of manufacture is very much less than either of the aforesaidtop and an annular flange, as shown in Figs.

' apparent.

earlier types, manufacture of the disk, assembly in the capand adhesion to the cap, all being performed in a single simple operation, and the adhesion of the seal to the cap being such that the two are practically an integral unit, a combination which never has existed heretofore in such devices.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a cross section of a device" constructed in accordance with the invention, and

Figure 2 is a magnified and fragmental sectional view of the same;

Figure 3 is a perspective view'of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, and s Figure a is. a fragmentary view of the hopper in'end elevation, the hopper being partly broken away, and showing also a nozzle controlling plunger and operating 1 means therefor. v

Referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that the general superficial appearance of the seal is that of a crown cap with a rubber sealing disk. The cap member is indicated at 1 and the sealing member at 2. The cap is of usual construction with a slightly dished 1- and 2. In practice, the cap is used with a bottle having its neck beaded at the top and the annular flange of the cap contacts with and sure roundsthe'bea d. Referring to Figure 2, however, the difierences between the seal and those customarily made become It will be noted that the cap, being of metal and formed by the rapid action of a die, has surface irregularities and poresl.- The seal penetrates the most minute of'the pores, and irrespective of the irregularity of the bottom and side walls of the cap, due to the tendency of the metal to spring back after it leaves the die, the surface of'the seal is withoutundulations, 9 being perfectly plane. Thus the top' of the cap is slightly bowed or bulged, as frequently is the case. alongthe diametrical line compensating for such irregularity and maintainlng the plane The thickness of the seal varies Y mated by the heating element? surface of the seal. Such a structure is not obtained with an applied rubber disk, even when die pressure is ap lied to the disk. The die will temporarily atten out the cap, but the spring of the metal will. cause the cap to approximate its original form thereby ilrawing the sealing disk with it into irreguarity.

As a material for my sealing member I prefer a vhlcanizable' rubber compound in liquid form. Such compounds are well own in the rubber industry; being used for many purposes and do not require speci-. ficat-ion as to constituents. I do not limit myself to rubber, however:

In Figures 3 and 4 I have illustrated an apparatus capable of carrying the invention into effect. 3 indicates a hopper or other means for applying the crown disks to an endless belt 4 in such manner that the disks are placed in successive rows, as is indicated at 5. 6 is a tankfor the rubber compound, the compound flowing to a manifold having a plurality of nozzles 8 corresponding to the number of caps in each roll on the endless belt 4. Each nozzle is controlled by a plunger 9 actuated by a lever 10, the movement of which is controlled by cam 11. The endless belt is led over drums 12, 12 and these drums are driven intermittently so that a row of ca s is brought under the nozzles 8 and then eld motionless during an upward movement of the plungers to cause the liquid rubber compound to flow into the 86 nozzle where its flow is accelerated, its

volume controlled and the nozzle closed by' downward movement of each plunger 9. The intermittent drivin of the drums is efiected by the use of a muti ated gear wheel, as illustrated in the drawings, intermediate the source ofpower and a gear on a 'drum shaft, -or by any other suitable means. By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the volume of the rubber compound indicatedat 2 caused to flow into the cap is sucl} that its uppersurface assumes a level a stantial distance below the eriphery of the flan of the cap. The rubber com ound is disc arged into the cap at its base'and spreads out and assumes a level without contact with the inner wall of the flange except at below the level substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The plun ers now remain in lower position, closm second row of caps is rought intoposition for receiving the liquidcompound. .In its intermi tentmovement in the direction of the a w the belt 4 is carried within the vulcanizing chamber 14, which. will be prov'ided with a heating element for efieetingthe vulcanization of the rubber compound'to the caps. The chamber "will be constructed as to length in accordance with the speed of movement of the belt and the tei liplerature 6 comt e nozzles, until a pleted and vulcanized 09. s willv pass from the belt into a reception ta Havin described my invention what claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as' follows 1. In apparatus of the character describedi le 15 for packin t for controlling the flow of liquid from said I discharge members to permit treated caps to be withdrawn and untreated ca s to be passed into register with said ischarge member. 2. A method of forming bottle seals which consists in the submission of metallic flanged caps to flow therein of a viscous material capable of conversion into a resilient body, while sup orting the caps in horizontal position and owing the viscous materialwlthout contact with the inner walls of the flanges except at and below a level confined in POSI- tion to a substantial distance below the periphery of each flange and convertlng Stud" viscous material into a solid while the caps are held in substantially horizontal position, so that the resilient bodg has one face bonded to the cap, and a secon lane exposed face.

In testimony whereo signed my name to this s fication.

, have hereunto 

